Dodge County gynecologist Dr. George “Mack” Bird, III, age 59, appeared in the United State District Court for Georgia March 21, 2018, and pled guilty to the charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

United States assistant attorneys from the Savannah and Augusta offices told the The Dodge County News in a phone interview on Monday that both of the charges were federal felonies and each carried up to five years of
imprisonment each without the possibility of parole.

Bird also agreed to forfeit approximately $2.7 million in assets and property that were seized as part of the investigation, and were traceable to his crimes.

As reported in the June 10, 2015 issue of The Dodge County News, Bird was charged and arrested with the sale of a Schedule IV controlled substance, possession of Schedule II and Schedule IV controlled substances with the intent to distribute, illegally written prescriptions and use of pre-signed prescriptions.

Those drugs included, but were not limited to, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office on March 26, opioids (such as hydrocodone combination products), alprazolam (Xanax), carisoprodol (Soma), phentermine (Adipex), and phendimetrazine (Plegine).

Bird had allegedly delegated many of his patient care responsibilities to employees who could not legally distribute or dispense controlled substances without a physician’s examination. As stated in the press release sent out Monday, Bird authorized his staff at his medical practices in
Eastman and Dublin to use pre-signed prescription forms and pre-printed medical notes that gave the appearance the patients had been examined by Dr. Bird, when, in fact, they had not been.

U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine commended the hard work and dedication of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the Oconee Drug Task Force, both of which investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Though Bird is currently in custody, U.S. assistant attorneys did tell The Dodge County News on the phone Monday, “sentencing would occur at a later date.”

Jennifer Douglas, a registered nurse employed by Dr. Bird, was also arrested and was charged with two counts of sale of a Schedule IV controlled substance, and later indicted along with Bird.

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